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Herbs sometimes biennial, subshrubs, or shrubs. Roots usually fibrous. Leaves opposite, petiolate or sessile, usually amplexicaul; leaf blade margin entire, dentate, crenate, or leaves pinnate. Inflorescences terminal, cymose, sometimes also with subterminal cymes and thus paniculate, many flowered; bracts small. Flowers bisexual, erect, 4-merous. Sepals free or basally subconnate, triangular to lanceolate, usually shorter than corolla tube. Corolla yellow (or white, red, pink, or orange), salverform; tube subquadrangular or basally inflated and urn-shaped, base slightly narrowed; lobes longer than tube. Stamens 2 × as many as petals, inserted near middle of corolla tube; filaments unequal in length, usually very short. Nectar scales linear to suborbicular. Carpels erect. Styles short or long. Follicles many seeded. Seeds ellipsoid.
Herbs, usually biennial or perennial, sometimes annual, sometimes subshrubs or small shrubs. Lvs usually opposite and decussate, free or connate at base, simple, entire, toothed or rarely pinnatifid, not crowded in terminal rosettes. Infl. a corymbose, paniculate or thyrsoid cyme, usually terminal with many fls. Fls 4-merous, ± erect. Calyx divided from c. 1/2 way to almost the base; lobes equal. Petals somewhat fleshy, forming a tube > lobes; lobes free, erect to reflexed, white, yellow to deep red, or sometimes purplish; tube rather narrowly cylindric, 4-angled. Stamens 8, in 2 unequal whorls, epipetalous, usually included. Scales free, very variable in shape. Carpels 4, slightly connate at base. Seeds numerous.
Biennial or perennial, rarely annual succulent herbs or subshrubs. Leaves usually opposite, entire or deeply incised, or 3-foliate or pinnately 5-foliate. Inflorescence terminal, usually many-flowered corymbose or paniculate cymes. Flowers 4-merous, the occasional aberrant flower 3-or 5-merous. Calyx shorter than or sometimes equalling the corolla-tube, deeply 4-lobed or 4-fid. Corolla tubular for at least two-thirds of its length, gibbous at the base; lobes spreading or reflexed. Stamens 8, in 2 series, usually included; filaments inserted on the corolla-tube. Nectary scales 4. Carpels 4, free to slightly connate at the base; styles usually shorter than the ovaries; ovules numerous.
Leaves usually opposite and decussate, connate at the base, the lower more or less approximate, the uppermost bract-like, sessile or petiolate; lamina undivided or rarely pinnatifid, entire, crenate or serrate, usually flat, sometimes semiterete, fleshy-succulent, sometimes thin.
Corolla gamopetalous along at least the lower 2/3; tube ± distinctly 4-angled, rounded and swollen near the base, usually constricted upwards; lobes 4, spreading or reflexed or erect and sometimes connivent, ± succulent, sometimes minutely papillose above, usually apiculate.
Calyx shorter than or sometimes equalling the corolla-tube, completely green or lineolate with purple or red; sepals nearly free or more or less connate, rarely up to or beyond the middle.
Biennial or perennial or sometimes annual succulent herbs often with subrosulate leaves and scape-like inflorescence-axes, sometimes undershrubs or shrubs.
Stamens 8, usually included; filaments ± connate with the corolla-tube, free above the middle of the tube; anthers ovate or oblong.
Inflorescences terminal, panicle-or corymb-like or thyrsoid, composed of cymes, usually many-flowered.
Carpels 4, slightly connate at the base; styles usually shorter than the ovaries.
Scales semi-orbicular to linear, entire, crenulate or ± emarginate at the top.
Flowers 4-merous, erect, 4; pedicellate, medium-sized or ± large.
Seeds numerous, oblong, with longitudinally rugose tegument.
